The Striped Dragon
by Kiryu2012
Summary: After Spike gets attacked by an unknown creature, strange killings have followed. Is Spike responsible, or is there something more? All characters designed to be anthropomorphic.
1. Chapter 1

Spike slowly walked down one of the several trails in the Everfree Forest. He had went to Zecora's hut to bring her a sample of an odd piece of fur that Twilight couldn't figure out. The fur was a dark orange in color, and no matter what Twilight tried, none of the tests proved an exact result of what creature had this fur, the closest DNA scans showing that the creature must've been related to the big cats. So Twilight had sent Spike to give the fur to Zecora, for the zebra was certainly more of an expert in the studying of big cats.

Spike took a deep breath, enjoying the cool air. Even if he was in a dangerous area, he still felt relaxed, like nothing bad was going to happen.

How wrong he was.

As Spike slowly walked down the trail, his feet making soft crunches against the fallen sticks and leaves, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. Like there was something out of place here. But he couldn't describe it. He looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, before he quickened his pace, now ready just to go home. He then sensed something. Something wrong. Very wrong.

He heard a thud behind him…

Spike turned…

And he was knocked to the ground, pain shooting through his body as he felt his chest being flayed open. Crimson blood spilled onto the ground as Spike struggled underneath whatever had him pinned. All he could see was a flash of ivory, before his neck was ripped open, blood gushing out. Spike gurgled in pain as he was losing focus. He tried to move, but the blood loss took it's toll on him. The last thing Spike saw before he passed out was a batch of orange and black…

Twilight Sparkle trotted nervously across the library floor. It was almost a half-hour since she sent Spike, and she was beginning to regret sending him off alone. She should've went with him, or sent somepony like Rainbow Dash or Applejack to help. What if he got lost, or if he was kidnapped, or-

THUD!

The sound made Twilight jump in fright, her breasts flopping with her movement. She rushed to the door, opening it wide only to see the worst of her fears.

Spike lay before her, his purple scales coated in red. His chest had been ripped open, the dull shine of his ribs visible beneath. The upper part of his tail was gone, and his right arm appeared snapped at the elbow. The worst damage, though, was at his throat, which was completely ripped open and stretched down to his chest.

Twilight screamed in terror, scooping up Spike in her arms and rushing down the streets. She could feel his heartbeat, but it was barely visible, due to the huge amount of blood he may have already lost. Twilight didn't know what was going on. All she did was scream.


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight was in tears.

Her own assistant, Spike, lay before her in a bed. They were in the Ponyville Hospital, Twilight having used her teleportation spell to get there quicker. The staff were doing everything they could to save Spike; healing herbs, antibiotics, even a few healing spells, but strangely enough, nothing worked.

Twilight was not the only pony there. As soon as the news spread, Twilight's closest friends practically raced to the hospital. Rarity was sitting in a chair at a corner, just as upset as Twilight, if not moreso. Pinkie Pie, the usually happy go-lucky mare, was sobbing away, her usually curly mane now hanging down her shoulders. Rainbow Dash was facing away from Spike, tears streaming down her face as she punched the wall in her fit. Applejack was trying, and failing, to calm a simply bawwing Fluttershy, the Earth pony herself crying away. Everypony was worried for Spike, and were praying to Celestia and Luna that the dragon would survive.

Finally, Nurse Redheart entered the room. She herself was close to tears, but the mare had barely managed to keep herself calm enough to deliver the news. Everypony else turned to face her. Twilight stepped up to her.

"How is he, nurse? Will *sniff* he live?"

Nurse Redheart took a deep breath, and spoke.

"We have some good news and bad news. The good news is that, thankfully, spike is going to live."

This brought cheers from everypony else, Rarity hugging Twilight as she kept crying.

"However, the bad news is that he's going to need extensive care and attention. He would have to be here for several weeks."

Rainbow Dash clearly didn't look pleased by this, but said nothing. Applejack then walked up to Redheart.

"Do ya have any idea what near killed Spike?"

"We're not sure, but Doctor Hooves claims that it was the work of some kind of creature. He managed to collect saliva found on Spike and concluded that the creature that is responsible was some kind of big cat."

Twilight's heart stopped. Big cat. The unicorn slowly let herself speak.

"Do they know what kind of cat?"

"We're not sure. But if you want to know more, you can ask Doctor Hooves."

And so, the Mane 6 reached Doctor Hooves' office and were now discussing the situation. The doctor was clearly not proud of his discovery, but still talked with the other ponies.

Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So what you're saying is that Spike almost got his throat torn out, but you don't even know what kind of cat did it?"

Doctor Hooves sighed, before he spoke again.

"I'm positive that it's the work of a big cat. But the DNA tests show no exact match, and the damage done to Spike isn't like normal cats."

Fluttershy asked the doctor as soon as he finished speaking: "What do you mean?"

"Well, big cats have predictable ways of attacking, and each kind hunts in a different way from each other. A cougar would've made a grab at Spike, probably mistaking him for a prey item, but it would've pounced from behind or above, since the attack occurred in the Everfree Forest. Also, cougars always go for a neck bite that severs the windpipe, but since dragons have such thick scales even at Spike's age, a cougar's teeth wouldn't get through."

Applejack spoke next.

"What 'bout Manticores? Manticores hunt here, don't they?"

"Well sometimes, but most of the time almost never. And if a Manticore wanted to make a meal out of Spike, it would've. Period. If a big Manticore attacked Spike, it would've sheared him in half, or pump him full of acidic venom to dissolve him. Manticores hunt like scorpions: they usually go for injecting their prey and consuming them later. We wouldn't find Spike with his throat being torn at. In fact, it was mostly his throat that was clearly targeted. And the DNA tests show that there's only one big cat that this creature's DNA becomes closest to a match with."

Twilight's heart quickened.

"What kind?"

"A tiger. Tigers can be found in Equestria, or in far off Asia, since tigers have been imported here. Tigers attack as quickly as possible, and usually go for a neck bite. Based on the size of the hole in Spike's neck, I'd say that the tiger that attacked him must've been a big one, probably a Bengal tiger or a Siberian tiger."

Twilight and Rarity started tearing up again. A tiger was responsible for their Spike's condition. And there was nothing they could do.

Rarity looked up at Doctor Hooves.

"Is there anything we can do to help Spike?"

Doctor Hooves let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, but for now there's nothing we can do. You should go home now. It's getting late."

Slowly, the Mane 6 walked out of the room. They wanted so badly to stay with Spike, to comfort him and try to help him. But there was nothing they could do.

Twilight slowly stepped into her library home, before her legs quivered and she ran up the stairs, jumping onto her bed, curling up into a ball and breaking down into tears. This was all her fault. She sent Spike off into the forest with nopony else to keep him safe. And now he was in the hospital, probably dying as the minutes went by. And it was all her fault. Twilight slowly cried herself to sleep.

The security guard slowly walked down the halls. The light blue stallion slowly brought the flash light across the surroundings, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He had heard of how Spike was attacked by what could possibly be a tiger, and he wanted badly to go out and hunt down that beast, but it was his duty to guard the hospital, so here he walked.

It was then he heard a strange noise coming from down the hall. The guard followed the sound, which seemed to be growing louder by the minute. Soon he came to the door leading to the room at the end of the hall.

Spike's room.

The guard brought the key that unlocked all the doors to the knob, slowly unlocking the door as he opened it up slowly. Stepping inside, the guard brought the flash light upon Spike's bed…

And it was empty.

Empty.

The guard's heart began racing as he stared at the bed where Spike was supposed to be. Then he heard the sound again: a shuffling noise, like pads moving across the floor.

Something was in the room.

The guard swung the flash light around. All he could make out was a strange outline, before there was a flash of black. For a second, the guard felt pain, then the feeling of being slammed into the wall. Then, as he died, the last thing he felt was the bizarre sensation that he was being eaten.

It needed to feed. And it feed until it could feed no more. It spilled out the mammal's intestines, feasting upon the organs and chewing upon the flesh. It fed on the corpse until there was only an empty space in the mammal's midsection and no flesh on the upper body.

Once nourished, it was still confused. It stood upright, looking around for anything familiar in the strange surroundings, but found nothing of the sort. It then spotted it: an opening to the outside, it's home.

It smashed through the stone-like thing blocking it, and jumped down from the opening, landing on all fours before running off towards the woods. There it could dwell. There it could hunt.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of blood hit Spike's nostrils.

The dragon sat up with a gasp, looking around as the memories of last night's events came rushing back. Him walking through the forest, something attacking him, then darkness. Spike didn't remember what had happened, but the smell of blood indicated that something bad occurred.

Then he saw it.

The body of a deer lay several feet to his left. The deer was barely recognizable, for it was horribly mutilated. It's head was twisted towards the back, most of it's flesh missing. There was a gaping hole in it's midsection, and it's left leg lay behind it. Spike wanted to turn away at that moment, but he felt compelled to simply stare at it, even as several lizards came up to the corpse, looking at Spike for a moment before feeding on whatever flesh remained. Spike then felt something dripping down from his cheek. Slowly he reached up and touched some kind of liquid, before he looked at the liquid that got onto his hand.

It was blood.

Spike gasped in horror, quickly jumping away. He calmed down as he wiped off more blood from his face. It wasn't his blood, for he had no kind of injury, but instead it came from…the…deer…

Spike shook his head. No, there was no way _he_ was responsible. There was no way that was possible. Spike saw a nearby creek, quickly moving up to the moving water and washing the blood off of himself. Once He had cleaned himself, Spike got a good look around. He appeared to be on an open grassland, with the trees visible in the distance. There was no other signs of life here aside from the lizards feeding on the deer corpse. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, which was perfectly flat. Spike knew he had to get back home. Who knew how upset Twilight would be. Spike turned towards the west. Strangely enough, he felt like he knew exactly where home was.

Spike quickly walked off, heading towards where his senses told him was home.

Twilight sat in her chair. The rest of the six pony friends sat in a circle along with her. All had been grieving over Spike's condition, praying that he wouldn't pass on. They were recounting all the times that they had with Spike. Rarity was currently speaking.

"We all remember the giant Spike incident. Well, as he started to admit his love for me, I realized that the feelings I had for him were true. It seemed that we meant for each other…"

Rarity quickly broke down in tears once more, Applejack putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Twilight was trying all her best to fight back her own tears. It was too much for any of them to handle. Their own Spike, probably on his last breath-

There was the sound of the door opening.

Then came the voice.

"Guys? Is that you?"

Everypony practically flew out of their seats, only to see Spike standing in the doorway.

Reunion initiated.

The Mane 6 practically glomped Spike, Twilight and Rarity the most happy. Spike was covered with hugs and kisses from all the mares. He would've loved to just remain in a heaven like this, but there was a lot of explaining to do. Twilight released her grip from Spike to ask the question on everypony's minds:

"How are you okay?"

Spike just shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't know. The last thing I remember was me walking through the forest, then something hit, and I woke up in a field."

He left out the part with the dead deer and his bloody face, for he didn't want to see how his dearest friends would react. Twilight looked at him with surprise.

"Wait, you were in a field? I brought you to the Ponyville hospital. How could you end up in a field?"

"No idea. I don't remember anything."

Rarity pulled Spike into a hug. Not just a friendly hug, but a loving, almost sensual hug.

"The only thing that matters now is that you're back with us, my little Spikey Wikey!"

Rarity playfully kissed Spike on the neck, and the dragon chuckled a little. It was strange. Normally he'd pass out from the excitement of being kissed by his crush, but now he took it as if he were Big Mac. How strange, not that he cared, of course.

Pinkie Pie was crying for joy at that moment, before she suddenly gained a look of her usual happiness.

"Hey! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!"

Spike grinned. This was easily a good time for a welcome home party.

Later that evening…

The library was littered from everything party-related. The celebration itself was a blast, one that had Spike exhilarated. Many of the ponies he knew came, including Lyra and Bon Bon, and even Vinyl Scratch came with her famous music. Spike had noticed something peculiar. Every mare in the party seemed to be particularly attracted to him. Even the normally timid Fluttershy had acted like one of the more rough loving mares. At one point Spike ended up getting a good look at Vinyl's plot, the DJ pony intentionally showing off in front of him. Perhaps Spike was secreting his pheromones again? He wasn't sure, but he certainly didn't care.

The last ponies to leave were Pinkie Pie and Rarity, the latter giving Spike a passionate kiss on the lips before she left. Spike was strangely calm from the luck he had throughout this party, but he was ready for a good rest. Twilight couldn't stop sneaking glances at her assistant as he climbed into his bed. There seemed to be something…new about Spike. He seemed more built, more fit, set with that predatory look. She wasn't sure. Putting it off as growth, Twilight and Spike both quickly feel asleep.

Spike was having a wonderful dream. In his dream, Vinyl, Rarity, and Twilight were all naked and stroking him across his body. The dragon was in a world of bliss, when all of a sudden, everything around him disappeared. Darkness surrounded him, and there was a single pillar of light atop the dragon. Looking up, Spike saw what appeared to be some kind of creature, larger than himself, but he couldn't tell what it was. Then the thing pounced on him and Spike knew no more.

It awoke in another unfamiliar environment. It stood up, cloth falling off it's body as it looked around. It immediately spotted the mammal asleep before it, but something told it not to hurt this mammal. It saw the mammal as kin, and decided not to hurt it. Instead it saw an opening to the outside. Quickly it opened up the glass blocking it, so it wouldn't wake the mammal, before it leaped out, running off on all fours. It headed straight into the forest, where it was at it's element.

The bear stood up, bellowing furiously. Ahead of it, the Allosaurus roared out, tearing up the ground with it's talons. The two predators were natural rivals, and they would not stand to have either in this part of the forest.

The bear charged at the Allosaurus, taking a swipe at the reptile with it's claws. Ducking to the side, the Allosaurus swung it's jaws down upon the bear's back, it's upper teeth stabbing into the flesh. The bear bit down on the Allosaurus' leg, bringing out a howl of pain, before the bear pulled up, throwing the Allosaurus off balance and causing it to fall over. The bear stomped down on the Allosaurus' chest, bellowing at it to keep it down. The therapod snorted, before it kicked out with it's legs, the talons on it's feet stabbing into the bear's stomach. The bear backed off, snarling bitterly, and the Allosaurus swiped at the mammal's snout, blood trickling down the cuts. The Allosaurus then bit down on the bear's neck in an attempt to bring it down, but the therapod's relatively weak bite force combined with the bear's toughened muscle made this difficult. The bear wrapped it's arms around the Allosaurus, crushing it in a bear hug, before it slammed the dinosaur headfirst into the ground. The Allosaurus clawed at the bear's face, making the mammal back off and allowing the reptile to rise.

It sensed the two predators dueling. Any others of it's kind would avoid this event, but it's hunger and primal strength urged it on, and so it moved in.

It ran at the bear, swiping it's claws and slicing through the mammal's flesh. Howling in agony, the bear fell, and the Allosaurus ran at it, swinging it's jaws like an ax. It reached up, grabbing the dinosaur's neck, before it bit down onto the jugular. The Allosaurus struggled for a moment, before it bit down harder, crushing the neck vertebrae. The dinosaur went limp, collapsing to the ground alive no more. The bear slowly rose, and the sight of the dead Allosaurus made the mammal run off. It spotted the bear trying to run, before it dropped to all fours and raced after it. The bear ran through a maze of trees in an attempt to lose it's attacker. It leaped up, climbing up on of the trees and leaping off.

The bear ran into a clearing, where it stopped to catch it's breath. Standing up on it's hind legs and looking around, the bear saw and sensed nothing. After a moment, the bear went back on all fours and started to walk away.

It rammed the bear from the side, knocking it over. Before the bear could rise, it slashed the mammal's stomach with a single swipe, spilling out the intestines. It roared into the night sky, before grabbing the bear's head in it's jaws and dragging it back to the Allosaurus corpse, where it began to feed.

It quickly climbed up the tree, before jumping off and clinging to the side of a building. Although it's hunger should've been satisfied by now, it's strength was still growing, and with it, it's hunger. It climbed to the top of the building and looked around, it's great vision seeking out any easy prey. It saw it in the form of one of the small mammals, except this one was smaller.

Weaker.

The little filly quickly trotted down the street. She needed to go home, especially at this time. She thought she heard something moving on a nearby building, but she didn't pay attention to it. Then she heard a thud, before something rammed her hard, knocking her right off her feet. Before she could rise, she felt something slice through her stomach. She curled up and covered her stomach with her hands. There was no pain. Only shock. It was then she noticed her stomach felt…slimey. Slowly she looked down.

She was holding on to her own intestines.

Before she could scream, she felt something like daggers stabbing into her skull. A split second before death, the last thing she saw was the head of a beast.

Spike woke up.

Slowly the dragon sat up, placing a hand on his head. What a strange dream he had. Wait.

Why was he in the forest again?

Spike slowly stood up, confused. He felt something dripping down his face, and with horror realized it was blood. Quickly he ran up to a nearby bush and brushed off the blood from himself. What was going on? Why was he in the forest covered in blood? Unless- no, that was impossible. There was no way he hunted. He would've surely remembered it. In the distance he saw Ponyville, and the library. Quickly he ran back towards Ponyville.

Twilight looked through her books urgently. Mayor Mare had come by earlier and told her of a tragedy only last night: A filly had been mysteriously killed, and the way of which didn't match any pony killers. Also, Fluttershy found the bodies of a grizzly bear and an Allosaurus laying mutilated. According to the mare, a single creature killed both, but what she didn't know. Now Twilight had looked to the books to find an answer, but so far she found nothing. Plus, where was Spike? She had found that his bed was empty and the window was open. Why did he leave? Twilight was trying to make a connection with Spike's disappearance and the murder, but she couldn't figure it out.

At that moment, Spike walked in through the doorway. Twilight turned to face him.

"Where were you? I've been looking for you for something urgent."

"Sorry Twilight, but I don't know. I woke up in the forest for some reason."

"Well if you've been here earlier, you would've found out that a filly had been murdered last night."

"Really? That's terrible."

Twilight noticed something odd about Spike. He should've been shocked by the news, but he just took it like it was no big deal. What was with him?

"Spike. Do you know anything about the murder?"

"What? Of course not!"

"Well Fluttershy said that she found a bear and an Allosaurus having been killed in the forest, and you did say you woke up in the forest-"

"That means nothing! You can't just accuse me like this!"

Spike let out a growl before he punched the wall, his fist going right through the wood. Twilight was immediately scared and backed away from the dragon.

"I'm sorry Spike. I just thought that-"

"Well don't ever accuse me again! You know very well I couldn't do any of that!"

Spike angrily walked up the stairs, leaving a scared Twilight to get back to her work.


	4. Chapter 4

Spike slowly walked down one of the main streets in Ponyville, still fuming with rage. The nerve of Twilight to accuse him like that. Where did she get the idea that he was responsible? Spike clenched his fists tightly as he growled.

"She didn't deserve to accuse me, that little _BITCH!_"

That last part was mixed with a loud roar, causing everypony around him to jump in fear and quickly trot away from the dragon, who was surprised himself.

"Whoa. Where'd that come from?"

Spike stood there in shock from what just came from him, before slowly his rage returned as he took note of the ponies now cowering in fear of him.

_Why are they fearing me?_ Spike thought. _They should be respecting me! I am the assistant of the Element of Magic – No. I am no assistant. Twilight was using me as her own little slave. I don't need her. She can fuck off and die for all I care. I don't need anyone. Except…_

Spike turned towards the Carousel Boutique, slowly walking past the fearful ponies(even shoving a stallion away at one point), and pushed open the door, the bell on the doorway signaling his entrance. Rarity soon walked down the stairs to see the dragon standing in the doorway.

"Spike, darling! How can I help you?"

She noticed the look of anger on Spike's face, but she tried to ignore it as she spoke to her idol. Spike faced her, his emerald eyes seeming to glow.

"You can start by giving me one thing."

Rarity took a step towards him.

"Yes?"

"You."

Rarity gaped for a moment as her white face took a pink glow as she blushed. Already she felt wet from simply staring at her love and him saying that he wanted her. Any other mare would've tried to think this through, but Rarity didn't care. She wanted Spike, and that was all that mattered. She strutted over to Spike, wrapping her arms around the reptile.

"Oh, Spike," Rarity moaned as she stroked Spike's head. "You have no idea how much I've waited for this. I've been wanting you since we first met."

Spike smirked.

"I was thinking the same thing. Now come 'ere."

Spike pulled Rarity into a passionate kiss, their tongues twirling around each other as Rarity pulled Spike closer. The two made out for a while before Rarity slowly broke the kiss. Seductively, she strutted up the stairs swinging her flank around, Spike following.

Once in Rarity's room, Spike tackled Rarity onto the bed, forcefully pulling her clothes off. Spike kissed and licked Rarity's face as he massaged her breasts, slipping his tail between the mare's legs. Rarity giggled as Spike's tail tip tickled at her marehood, before forcefully shoving itself in. Rarity moaned as spike twisted the tail around inside her, before rubbing his shaft against her sensitive area. Rarity looked pleadingly into Spike's eyes.

"Please, just take me now."

Spike grinned, and slid his dragonhood within her. Rarity screamed in delight as Spike thrusted in and out of her. Rarity wrapped her arms and legs around the dragon as he quickened his pace. Rarity buried her face into Spike's neck as the two lovers climaxed together, their juices mixing together. Rarity kissed Spike on the lips.

"I love you so much, my little Spikey Wikey."

Spike merely growled as he stood up from the bed, before slowly walking out of the room. Rarity sighed in contentment as she rubbed her slit, hoping they could have another round next time.

Spike walked out of the boutique, only to see several ponies staring at him angrily. Spike merely huffed.

"What the hell are you guys looking at?"

The nearest pony, a black unicorn stallion with a gray mane, stepped up to him.

"You practically threw an innocent pony away like he was nothing. Why would you do that?"

"He was in my way. He got what he deserved."

The stallion stepped closer to him, staring him in the eyes as he japed a hoof at the dragon's chest.

"Sir, you better apologize to that pony right now."

Spike growled as he clenched his fists.

"Get your hoof off me, you son of a BITCH!"

In a quick motion, Spike grabbed the stallion's horn, plucked it clean off, and punched the pony into a cart. The other ponies ran off in terror, and Spike grabbed a nearby colt by his tail. The dragon swung the helpless pony around and around until his tail tore off, sending the colt flying into two more ponies. A nearby unicorn shot a blast of magic at Spike, but the dragon just turned to face the pony, before breathing a stream of fire upon the mammal, the emerald flames burning away as the stallion rolled around, screaming as the flames slowly burned him to a smoking corpse. Spike slowly walked away from the scene.

Spike walked through the field of Sweet Apple Acres. The residents here haven't noticed him for he was among the trees. Spike's nose twitched as he detected another animal, a Plateosaurus feeding on a nearby tree.

With a low growl, Spike ran at the prosauropod, ramming it hard and knocking it onto it's side. Before the dinosaur could rise, Spike stabbed his claws into the Plateosaurus' stomach and pulled downward, spilling out the Plateosaurus' innards. The dinosaur struggled for a moment but soon died. Spike grinned and began feasting on the dead dinosaur.

Several hours later, Spike decided to return home. The sun was starting to set over the horizon, and Spike knew that he should get home. As he walked alone, for nopony wished to be around him, he felt strange. He felt as if he should be in the Everfree Forest. Like the forest was where he belonged. But he couldn't figure it out. No time to think, he was home.

Spike opened the door and stepped inside, only to see a quite angry Twilight. The mare had her hands on her hips as she stared angrily at Spike.

"Spike, what were you thinking?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Earlier a bunch of ponies told me that you caused a ruckus in the town. You tore a unicorn's horn off? And nearly burnt another pony to death? What's wrong with you?"

"HEY! Those ponies started it, not me!"

"You attacked them first. Seems like you did that on your own."

"They were in my way."

"That's no good, Spike. I'm very upset with you, and you should know better than to just attack ponies like that."

"Why don't you just shut up, and we can forget about this."

Spike started to walk past Twilight, but the unicorn slapped him in the face, making him stop. Twilight was about to chew him out, but she saw the look in his eyes. Not a look of sadness, but rage. Uncontainable rage.

Spike spun around to face Twilight, rage overwhelming his senses.

"Don't you stick your hand in my face again bitch! FUCK YOU! I don't need this shit, you stupid sadistic abusive fucking whore! How'd you like to see how it feels, huh?"

Spike punched Twilight in the face, throwing her across the room. Twilight tried to rise, but Spike raked his claws across her forehead, blood trickling down the cuts. Spike began beating away at Twilight, rage being released through his blows. Spike grabbed Twilight by her mane, lifting her up as he prepared to claw out her eyes…

Then realization struck him. He was hurting Twilight, practically his sister, his family. Spike dropped Twilight as he stepped back in horror.

"W-what have I done? Oh, Celestia, oh, Luna, what's happening to me?"

Twilight slowly managed to stand up, before she took a step toward him, reaching out for him.

"Spike…"

The dragon stepped away from her.

"Stay away from me! You can't keep me here! I'm a monster! I'm a monster!"

Spike ran out of the doorway, past the streets of Ponyville and into the forest, his cries still filling the sky.

"I'M A MONSTER…"

Twilight stepped ran out of the library, tears filling her vision as she watched Spike disappear.

"Spike…"


	5. Chapter 5

Twilight had gathered up her friends, the group discussing the situation at the moment. Twilight stood as the leader as she spoke

"It's obvious something's wrong with Spike, and it's been caused by whatever attacked him. We need to find a way to stop this."

Pinkie Pie quivered nervously.

"But-but how can we find him? What if he hurts us?"

Twilight sighed in sadness at this idea.

"We have to find him, Pinkie. Spike can't control himself, and I feel that he has a connection to the attacks that occurred. We need to find him, and fast."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Applejack asked.

"We need Zecora."

Spike had his arms wrapped around his knees, tears streaming down his face as he sat amongst the trees. He had run a long distance from any civilization, but he didn't care. Why should he come back?

"I can never go home, no without hurting anypony. I can't live my old life. I can't see any of my friends. I can't go anywhere, cause I'm just a horrible monster!"

Spike curled up into a ball and wept silently, a puddle of tears forming beneath him. As he wept, shadows began moving around him, surrounding him. Soon, a pack of Velociraptors emerged from the darkness, approaching Spike from all sides. Spike looked up at the dinosaurs in fear. He deserved this fate. No monster should be amongst the living. One of the raptors pinned Spike to the ground with a taloned foot, the sickle-shaped claw ready to finish him. As Spike waited for his fate, a thought, not his own, came to him.

_If I'm a monster, then everyone shall FEAR ME!_

Spike threw the Velociraptor off, before he stood up, letting loose with a loud roar that echoed across the skies. Spike huffed, flames spurting from his mouth. Time for blood.

Spike raced at the nearest raptor, slicing off its head with a swipe of his claws. Two other raptors came at Spike from behind, leaping onto him and biting at his head. Spike impaled his tail through one of the raptors, then stabbed his claws into the other's eyes and twisted, splitting open its skull. The other raptors pounced on him at once, biting and clawing at him. A stream of emerald flames escaped Spike's maw, roasting most of the raptors. Spike watched on as the raptors screamed and flailed, slowly burning into crisps. The remaining dinosaurs fled from the scene, as Spike walked away, his sense of humanity leaving him.

"Zecora, you must help us!"

Twilight and the others had reached Zecora's hut, seeking the zebra's assistance for guiding them through the forest and maybe even figuring out what was wrong with Spike and fix him.

"I will give you assistance, for Spike's condition brings little resistance."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked nervously.

Zecora walked over to her pot, which glowed green before revealing some kind of creature, though it couldn't be seen yet.

"You must have heard of the Werewolf, a creature who was created from the wolf."

"Well yes, pretty much everypony we know has known about Werewolves." Twilight had a growing fear of what may be happening to Spike.

"Spike's dragon life will linger…"

At that moment, the creature shown in the pot was more clear. It resembled a big cat, a tiger to be exact, with a humanoid stance and paws more like hands and feet. The ponies gaped in fear at this sight.

"…For he is becoming a Weretiger."

Spike stood on the praire, snarling bitterly as the Manticore charged at him, swinging its paws. The dragon punched the Manticore in the face, throwing it onto its side. The Manticore aimed its scorpion tail at Spike and unleashed a spray of corrosive venom. The acidic venom sizzled harmlessly against the dragon's scales as Spike bit onto the Manticore's left wing, tearing it off. Howling in pain, the Manticore pounced on Spike, biting down onto his neck. Spike kicked the Manticore in the chest, throwing it off and allowing Spike to rise. The Manticore charged at Spike, but Spike bit onto the Manticore's neck, crushing the neck bones before releasing the dead Manticore, watching it fall to the ground.

Spike growled as he began to grow, soon reaching the height of Discord. His scales became darker before black fur grew all over his body, completely covering him. Faint white stripes spread over his body, and his tail became thinner and whip-like. Spike's jaws elongated, becoming almost bear-like as his fangs grew long and sharp. Spike reared his head back and roared into the skies, thirsting for more blood.

WereSpike had arrived.


	6. Chapter 6

_Note: All characters are supposed to be anthropomorphic. If anyone can do a fanfic reading of this story for me that'd be nice._

Twilight and the others ran quickly through the forest. The purple unicorn was leading the way, her horn glowing to bring a light that helped the group see better. The group had found Spike's tracks and followed them. However, they soon came across the mutilated and burnt bodies of Velociraptors. The group gaped in shock.

"What could do this?" Pinkie asked, her body quivering with fear. Zecora simply glanced without any reaction.

"This is the work of the beast we must track. If we do not find him he will surely crack."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, terrified of what may become of her assistant.

"Spike's body is reacting violently to his split personality. It's only a matter of time before Spike's old mind suffers a fatality."

"You…you mean Spike will never change back if we don't stop him?"

Zecora simply nodded.

Twilight took a deep breath, her terror reaching it's limit. She knew they had to stop him before it was all over. Twilight faced the group.

"All right, everypony. We must find Spike and stop him before he ends up hurting anyone else."

Rainbow Dash faced Twilight, her usual attitude coming back.

"And just how are we supposed to find and stop a tiger/dragon creature?"

Zecora reached into a bag she carried, before she pulled out a strange bluish-green herb in the shape of a claw.

"This herb is known as Wolfsbane, the herb that cures creatures like Spike. We must apply it to the heart, or more beastly Spike will be like."

Twilight lifted up the herb with her magic, growing confident that they can cure him.

"Great. Now we need to find a way to lure Spike to us."

A loud roar filled the skies as loud footsteps were heard. Rainbow Dash faced Twilight.

"Does that answer the problem?"

WereSpike spotted the ponies before him, charging straight at them as he let out a mighty roar. Twilight and Rarity were taken back by their Spike's hideousness. He no longer looked like the little dragon they came to love. Now, they were facing a Demon. A monster with no remorse or fear.

Twilight barely had enough time to use a teleportation spell to get everyone out of the way, seconds before WereSpike's claws tore through the ground. WereSpike let out a loud roar as he charged at the group when they reappeared several feet away. Rainbow dash flew up, taking WereSpike's attention away from the others as the dragon swiped at her.

"Remember! This is Spike! Do not hurt him!" Twilight said as Werespike snapped at Rainbow Dash with his powerful jaws.

"That's not gonna be a problem, Twilight!"

WereSpike lunged at Rainbow Dash again, but the mare managed to fly out of the way. WereSpike let out an enraged roar before he punched Dash in the chest, sending her slamming into Twilight, knocking both ponies down. WereSpike suddenly stopped, his hair sticking up before he ran off, down a hill. Twilight stood up, knowing where he was headed.

"C'mon! Spike's heading for Ponyville!"

The group ran after Spike, not knowing what was to expect.

WereSpike jumped on top of a building, roaring out into the skies as everypony ran out of their dwelling. WereSpike pounced upon a group, tearing them apart in a matter of seconds. The beast practically tore through groups of ponies as he ripped and tore apart every pony his claws and teeth touched. Several unicorns blasted away at him with everything they had, but it proved useless as they were added on his list of victims as well. WereSpike continued on with his massacre until few ponies managed to survive, hiding away from the furious dragon.

WereSpike suddenly saw an orange blur, before something rammed into him, knocking him onto his back. WereSpike spotted a large beast standing on top of him, the black and orange cat roaring down at him. WereSpike's instincts kicked in, recognizing this beast as the very same WereTiger that bit him. WereSpike kicked off the WereTiger, before he stood up to face his rival.

The Weretiger lunged at WereSpike, swatting him into a wagon. WereSpike coiled his tail around the weretiger's neck, throwing him to the ground. WereSpike clawed at the Weretiger's back, blood trickling down the gashes, before the Weretiger swatted down WereSpike, then bit down on his neck, tearing at his jugular. WereSpike kicked the Weretiger off, before he grabbed the Weretiger's tail, lifting him off the ground and slamming the feline into a building. The Weretiger swung his claws downward, his claws slicing through WereSpike's flesh. WereSpike angrily tackled the Weretiger to the ground, both super predators biting and clawing at one another as they refused to back down in this battle.

Twilight and the others reached Ponyville, only to discover the carnage and the dueling carnivores before them.

"Wh-what is that thing?" Fluttershy asked in a squeaky voice.

"That must the Weretiger that bit Spike," Twilight responded. There was no questioning it. The question was how would they stop the Werebeasts. Rainbow Dash just flew up.

"We're just gonna have to make them stop!" Rainbow Dash then flew towards the beasts. Twilight and the others raced after her.

"Wait! You'll be killed!" Twilight cried out, but it was too late as Rainbow Dash rammed into the Weretiger from behind, but did nothing to it. The striped cat swatted Dash down hard, and kicked her into a cart, and WereSpike tackled the Weretiger down, the two felines scrapping with each other before breaking apart and circling each other. The two Werebeasts snarled, the blood of their victims trickling down their fangs and claws.

"It is no use," Zecora said with a shake of her head. "All we can do is hope that Spike puts his new form to good use."

The Weretiger spear tackled WereSpike to the ground, both predators tearing into each other with tooth and claw. WereSpike managed to toss away the Weretiger, the orange feline slamming into the ground. The black dragon roared as he ran towards his rival, only for the Weretiger to spring back up and lunge towards WereSpike. The two locked paws and grappled with one another, both trying to prove their dominance over the other as they stared each other square in the eye. Finally WereSpike pushed away the Weretiger and bowled him over with a swipe of his claws.

The Weretiger sprang back up, unfazed, before he backhanded WereSpike hard, sending the dragon nearly falling to the ground. WereSpike let out his rage in the form of a stream of emerald fire, nailing the Weretiger square in the chest and sending him flying through a building. Bursting out the rooftop as the building started burning away, the Weretiger chucked several pieces of burning wood at WereSpike, yet the striped dragon continued on unfazed. The Weretiger lunged down at WereSpike, biting down on his left arm. Gripping the tiger's neck, WereSpike flung the beast into another building.

The Weretiger stood up with a loud roar, before he smashed his paws full force into WereSpike's skull, flooring the dragon in an instant. The Weretiger pounced on WereSpike, hacking away at him with his claws. WereSpike roared angrily as his mammalian opponent tore into him with his dagger-like claws. Finally the Weretiger stabbed his claws into WereSpike's throat, before he tossed him straight through a building. WereSpike stood back up, jumping right over the crumbling building in an attempt to bring his full weight upon the Weretiger, only for his black and orange for to catch him by his foot, and smash his paw square into WereSpike's face, sending him tumbling across the ground.

WereSpike bellowed with rage as he stood up, before he kicked the Weretiger square in the face, sending the feline flipping through the air and smashing facefirst into the ground. WereSpike approached the Weretiger, the dragon ready to finish this. The Weretiger acted quickly and grabbed WereSpike's foot, yanking on it and causing him to fall over. The tiger tore into his black foe, the Werebeasts tumbling across the ground until WereSpike threw off the Weretiger, before grabbing him by his tail and slamming him into the ground. WereSpike then swung the Weretiger around, tossing through another building, bringing rubble down upon the big cat. WereSpike stomped down on the Weretiger's chest, keeping him pinned down as WereSpike bellowed out in victory. The Weretiger's rage knew no limits as the big cat grabbed WereSpike's foot, swinging him up and slamming his skull into the ground. WereSpike coiled his tail around the Weretiger's throat and flung him into a building, bringing the structure collapsing down on itself.

The Weretiger stood back up, racing at WereSpike and punching him so hard in the stomach that the dragon puked out blood, the crimson liquid splattering onto the ground. The Weretiger then bit down on WereSpike's neck, swinging him around and slamming him into the ground hard, leaving a crater in his wake. WereSpike stood up, but the Weretiger swiped away at him with his claws, each blow sending WereSpike stumbling backwards until the dragon was brought to the ground by a particularly powerful strike from the tiger, blood trickling out of his wounds. WereSpike stood up, before he charged at the Weretiger. The mammal bit down on WereSpike's head, the dragon struggling as the tiger's fangs punched into his skull.

The Weretiger then swatted WereSpike hard in the face, sending the dragon flying into a building. WereSpike managed to swat the Weretiger hard in the face with a powerful blow from his tail, before facing him and releasing another blast of fire, sending the tiger skidding across the ground, a large scorch mark on his chest. The Weretiger lunged at WereSpike, stabbing his claws down on WereSpike's head and punching him hard in the stomach again and again. The Weretiger then swatted WereSpike into another building, bringing rubble down upon him. The Weretiger ran up to WereSpike, grabbed him by his tail, and tossed him through the air. WereSpike slammed face-first into the ground, skidding forward before coming to a stop.

Werespike bellowed with absolute rage before he slammed his tail full-force into the Weretiger's face, sending the cat flying away. Werespike picked up the Weretiger by his throat, roasted the cat's head with a stream of flames, and slammed him hard into the ground. WereSpike stomped down on the Weretiger's chest, but the humanoid cat grabbed the foot and threw WereSpike off of him. The Weretiger bit down on WereSpike's neck in an attempt to crush it, but WereSpike kicked off the Weretiger. WereSpike beat away at the Weretiger with everything he had, eventually bringing the cat to the ground with a tail whip to the skull.

The Weretiger slammed his fist into WereSpike's jaw, throwing his head and sending him staggering backwards. As the Weretiger lunged at him, WereSpike leaned back on his tail and kangaroo kicked the Weretiger into another building. The Weretiger stood back up, before he and WereSpike collided with each other, tearing away at each other with everything. Teeth tore flesh. Claws shredded skin. Flames filled the skies. The mighty roars of both super predators filled the skies as they dueled to prove who was the dominant hunter.

Twilight and the others watched in silent horror as the Werebeasts fought in the wreckage of Ponyville. They had thought they would simply capture Spike and heal him, but instead were the audience of the greatest blood bath they had seen.

Twilight looked down at the blood-soaked ground, tears streaming down her face.

"What have we done to deserve this…"

WereSpike flung the Weretiger to the ground, kicking him hard in the ribs. Retaliating, the Weretiger bit down on WereSpike's foot, tearing off three of his toes. As WereSpike staggered back, his toes regrowing, the Weretiger sprang back up. The big cat punched WereSpike square in the face, throwing him to the ground. The Weretiger grabbed WereSpike by his tail and swung him into another building, rubble falling down upon the reptile. The Weretiger picked WereSpike up by his neck and smashed him facefirst into the ground. WereSpike dug his claws into the Weretiger's legs, then headbutted the cat in the stomach, sending him staggering backwards. WereSpike stood back up, before he discharged another fire blast, striking the Weretiger dead center in the chest and sending him flying into a building. WereSpike grabbed the Weretiger by his arm and tossed him into another building, more rubble falling upon him.

WereSpike unleashed another fire blast, but the Weretiger jumped out of the way, the emerald flames burning the building to ashes. As flames spread across the area, the Weretiger pounced on WereSpike, biting at the dragon's skull and clawing open his hide. WereSpike ran right into a burning building, rubble lit aflame engulfing the two. WereSpike threw off the Weretiger, before he rammed him hard, the two predators mauling one another as the fire continued to spread unchecked.

Twilight and Rarity were silently sobbing as the others watched the two predators duel, neither side holding an advantage. It was then they felt a holy presence. The group turned, only to see the Princess of the Night land before them.

"Luna!" Twilight gasped in shock as she approached the alicorn. "What are you doing here?"

"I know the most about the Werebeasts, and I am the only one that can prevent them from continuing on their genocide. I wish I could've come earlier, but I had to contain several Werewolves earlier. Now I can only hope to stop them."

"Are…are you going to kill them?" Twilight asked in terror. Luna simply shook her head.

"I'm afraid not even I can stop them. Unlike what you may believe, silver cannot kill a Werebeast, especially one that has dragon DNA. I can only contain them at the moment. I will try everything to stop them."

With that, Luna flew up towards the moon, to stop the warring Werebeasts.

WereSpike struck the Weretiger across the face with his tail, bringing the cat to a knee. The Weretiger bit down on the tail, savaging the limb in his jaws. WereSpike retaliated by biting down on the Weretiger's right arm, blood flowing from the limb. After a moment of this, both predators released each other. The two mega carnviores stared each other in the eye. One was once a happy assistant living a peaceful life. The other was a beast from a land where the strongest survived and there were no survivors of the weak. Both knew the outcome of this battle: one shall rise, and one shall fall.

Both predators let out a mighty bellow before they charged once more, striking each other square in the jaw with a powerful blow and staggering each other. The Weretiger lunged at WereSpike, but the dragon jumped to the tiger's right and swung his arm forward, raking his claws across the Weretiger's face. The Weretiger punched WereSpike square between the eyes, sending the dazed dragon falling over. The Weretiger then picked up WereSpike by his head and slammed his skull into the ground before headbutting him multiple times, tossing him to the ground. Raising his head, WereSpike engulfed the Weretiger's frame in flames, allowing the dragon to rise, and wrap his claws around the mammal's throat, lifting him into the air and squeezing. The Weretiger clawed away at WereSpike's face to make him let go, but the larger foe held his grip until the Weretiger plunged his claws into WereSpike's eyes, making him release the tiger as his eyes sealed up.

As the Weretiger swung his arm at WereSpike, the larger foe bit down on his already wounded arm, tearing away at the laceration. The Weretiger repaid him by biting down on WereSpike's shoulder, his fangs poking into the bone. WereSpike dug his claws into the tiger's back, pulling downward and leaving deep gashes. WereSpike then kicked the Weretiger in the stomach, sending him staggering backwards and allowing the dragon to breathe out another stream of flames from his maw, scorching the tiger's body and eventually causing the Weretiger to fall over. As WereSpike loomed over him, the Weretiger sprang back up and punched the dragon in the jaw. As the reptile stepped back, the Weretiger wrapped his arms around wereSpike and crushed him in a bear hug, before running straight into a burning building. The two predators rolled across the ground, eventually being surrounded by a ring of fire.

The two predators fought. Even as fire burned around them, they fought. Even as Twilight and the others stared, they fought. Even as Princess Luna tried to block out the moon to weaken them, they fought.

But the Weretiger was winning.

The Weretiger kept striking away at WereSpike with powerful blows, quickly bringing the dragon to his knees as the Weretiger hacked and slashed away at him. Blow after blow was delivered to the dragon, blood filling the streets, until the Weretiger bit down on WereSpike's neck, crushed the bones within, and tossed the dragon to the ground. Stomping down hard on the dragon's skull, the Weretiger roared out in victory as the flames grew high.

Twilight fell to her knees as she stared at the scene.

"Spike…no…"

The Weretiger ran straight through the flames, straight at Twilight, bowling her over, and loomed over her. Luna wouldn't be able to reach her in time even with a teleportation spell, and the others simply stared in horror as their best friend was about to be killed in front of them.

Then the Weretiger was flung off by a green beam.

WereSpike bellowed with rage as he beat away at the Weretiger. His blows tore right through the flesh, snapped bones like twigs, and brought the Weretiger down. WereSpike stomped down on the tiger's legs, snapping them and bringing out a howl of agony from the mammal. WereSpike kicked the Weretiger onto his back, and picked him up by his neck. Gripping the Weretiger's head, WereSpike snapped the beast's neck like a twig. The Weretiger collapsed to the ground, alive no more.

WereSpike roared out into the skies, the true victor's howls sending waves of terror through those that heard it. WereSpike then noticed Twilight and slowly walked towards her. Twilight shakily lifted up the Wolfsbane as the dragon loomed over her. Twilight clenched her eyes shut as she stood up.

"Please work…"

Twilight pressed the Wolfsbane into WereSpike's chest, the herb glowing blue for a brief moment. WereSpike stared at the herb for a moment, before he slowly fell into Twilight's arms, shrinking away as his fur fell off and his features retracted, until he was now the little Spike they had come to love. Spike placed a hand on his head as he looked up.

"Wha-what happened?"

Twilight just hugged him tightly as she cried, her friends cheering as Spike had returned to them once more.

_4 weeks later…_

It had been long, but Ponyville had been rebuilt with the help of the Princesses. Although even Celestia now had an understandable fear of Spike, everypony had forgiven him. Things were now back to the way they were before, and Twilight and Spike accepted this.

"I'm really happy to have you back, Spike," Twilight said, hugging her assistant as they both sat in Twilight's bed.

"I still feel bad for causing all this trouble. I didn't mean for it to happen," Spike said sadly as Twilight lifted his head up.

"Want me to make you feel better?"

Spike blushed as Twilight got on top of him with a seductive giggle.

Princess Luna looked out at the full moon, her sister asleep in their room. Luna gave a small smile as she looked down towards Ponyville.

"I'm glad Twilight has her assistant again, though I can't say everypony is okay."

Luna slowly walked out into the balcony, where her muzzle began to elongate, fangs sticking out of her mouth as claws emerged from her fingers and hooves. Luna lifted her head and howled into the night sky.

Not everything was again the same…


End file.
